Director, Retail Development

The Director of Retail Development owns the Thuma store build from site evaluation to opening day, and holds every store to that standard through the term of the lease. Due diligence, design, permitting, construction, and handover. Then maintenance, store standards, and refreshes once the doors are open. Our fleet is small today and growing. This role builds the infrastructure to support 8+ active projects and an expanding fleet, turning a series of projects into a program that scales without losing the craft, selecting the best partners and materials, and completing builds on time and on budget.

This role reports to the Senior Director of Retail Expansion. Internally, you partner closely with Real Estate, Legal, Retail Operations, Brand, Creative, VM, Merchandising, IT, and Finance. Externally, you lead the designers, architects, general contractors, and vendors who build and maintain our stores.

Thuma’s Headquarters is based in the historic Presidio neighborhood of San Francisco. Candidates should be able to come into our office. 

In recognition of the personal and professional benefits that team members gain from time spent together in person, we organize a range of events throughout each year designed to bring our entire team together!

You Will

Program Ownership

Own the development program end to end: set the master schedule for every project, run the process, and keep every partner moving against it.

Be the single source of truth on status. Set the KPIs for cost, schedule, quality, and fleet condition, give leadership a program-level view against them, and bring problems forward early with a recommended path.

Lead and develop the retail development team. 

Build the playbooks, trackers, and a bench of vendors that the next set of stores will run on.

Site Due Diligence

Own physical and technical diligence on every prospective location, turning a real estate opportunity into a buildable, budgeted, schedulable project.

Lead test fits to confirm a space can hold the assortment, the hospitality components, the adjacencies, and the back-of-house space the store needs.

Assess base building conditions, MEP and plumbing capacity, structural constraints, ADA and code exposure, and storefront conditions. 

Build the construction cost and schedule estimates that feed the deal model, and surface anything that moves the economics before we sign.

Review landlord work letters, delivery conditions, and TI allowances with Real Estate and Legal, and price what we have to build around.

Design & Documentation

Lead designers, architects, and our Interior Design and VM partners from concept through permit set and construction documents, translating design intent into code-compliant, cost-aware drawings without giving up the schedule.

Lead value engineering that finds savings without touching the guest experience.

Build and maintain the prototype kit of parts: standard details, material and finish specifications, fixture packages, and hospitality and cafe equipment standards.

Own permitting strategy across jurisdictions, including expeditors, consultants, utility coordination, and health department approvals.

Construction & Delivery

Own construction delivery on all new stores from bid through closeout: select, negotiate with, and manage general contractors, millworkers, fabricators, and consultants, and hold them to scope, schedule, budget, and finish quality.

Own the retail development capital budget, including forecasting, cost tracking, change order discipline, contingency management, and the documentation and collection of tenant improvement allowances.

Own handover, delivering a complete, tested, and ready-to-merchandise store to Retail Operations, and drive the punch list closed.

Store Standards & Maintenance

Lead the facilities program, including preventive maintenance, the vendor network, response time expectations, and escalation paths.

Define the Thuma store standard, audit against it, and close the gaps.

Find the root cause of recurring issues and fix them at the specification or vendor level rather than one store at a time, and feed those findings back to the designers so the next store is built with the improvements.

Support refreshes, remodels, and expansions across the existing fleet, from prioritization through execution.

This Might Describe You

10+ years in retail construction, store development, or store planning, including 5+ years leading a team or a function.

Track record delivering multiple retail buildouts per year on time and on budget, running a full portfolio at once against a capital budget you owned.

Experience leading diligence that shaped deal language and decisions.

Executive presence: you put risk in front of leadership early with a recommended path, and you make technical tradeoffs legible to a non-technical room.

Comfort building the process rather than inheriting one, and the judgment to hold the line on craft while still hitting a date.

Willingness to travel 25% to 50%, weighted toward diligence, GC bidding & kickoff, and opening windows.

F&B and premium, luxury, or design-led brand experience preferred.

What Success Looks Like

Stores open on the date we committed to, at the budget we approved, to our standard.

When this role says a site is buildable at a number, Real Estate and Finance can underwrite it.

Retail Operations inherits a store, not a punch list.

Cost and schedule per opening trend down as the kit of parts and the vendor bench mature.

A guest cannot tell whether a store opened last month or three years ago.

Fixture and display installs land across the fleet on schedule, without disrupting store operations.

Why Join Us

401(k): Participation in our 401(k) program with company matching up to 6% of your contributions.

Benefits*: Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage with generous employer contributions, 100% paid parental leave, and company-sponsored One Medical and WellHub memberships.

Equity: Participation in employee stock option plan.

Flexible by Design: We operate with a high-performance mindset, paired with thoughtful flexibility—flexible hours, flexible PTO, and a hybrid approach that supports both focus and balance.

Time to Recharge: Enjoy 13 company holidays each year to rest, reset, and celebrate what matters most.

Employee Discount**: 40% off almost all Thuma products.

Cell Phone Stipend: $100 per month to support work-related phone use.

Commute Reimbursement: Up to $150 per month for commuting to our office.

Room Upgrade: A complimentary product credit upon joining, valued at up to $3,000.

** Some exclusions may apply

* Eligibility for compensation, benefits, and perks may vary based on employment status (e.g., full-time, part-time, temporary), work schedule, and applicable holiday policies, and are subject to the terms of the relevant plans and company guidelines.

Who We Are

Thuma is a modern design company specializing in furniture and home goods. We believe simplicity is the ultimate luxury. That the details matter. And that good design is good hospitality.

We recognize that people come with a wealth of knowledge and are talented beyond the scope of a functional role. If this sounds like you, we encourage you to apply even if your experience doesn’t precisely match our job description. We hire for integrity, initiative, collaborative spirit, open mindedness, and willingness to learn. 

Thuma is dedicated to going above and beyond to bring people with diverse perspectives and unique experiences together to do great work. We strive to create a sense of belonging by creating an inclusive culture where everyone can be their authentic self and by treating each and every team member with kindness, equity, and respect, always.